Chronic ankle and feet

Question
Dear Dr Tsatsos,
I am a 400m runner but my real ambition is to run cross country and triathlon in the summer. Up until the age of 17 I played lacrosse to a high level and then had to have 9 months out waiting for an operation on an osteo-chondral defect on the front if my ankle where it hinges with the foot. After the operation I couldn't build up mileage because of pain along the insides of my ankles. Gradually I built up to 3k runs (over a 9 month period) and since then I have not pushed the distance but trained for 400m. I am constantly plagued by different injuries in my feet and ankles, from posterior tibial tendinitis to tight calves and mysterious stabbing pains at the beginning of a run that feel like I have trapped a nerve or broken a bone in my foot! I am becoming terribly depressed as running is the thing that makes me happy. Do you have any advice? I got desperate enough to try orthotics but am still having problems, just different ones!
Thank you so much for reading this.
Joy
P.S. I am 19 years old, and trained a lot all through school without any serious injuries until this ankle operation which was caused by a partial tearing of two ligaments in the ankle which was not properly diagnosed and treated at the time of the accident. I

Answer
Dear Joy,
This Chicago Podiatrist located in West Loop 60661,Roscoe Village 60618,Elmhurst 60126 & Bartlett 60103 says...
For your ankle pain.....
Some of the symptoms you mention come from over training,lack of stretching, and not giving injuries time to heal. Try running in a pool, doing physical therapy exercises and stretches(see a local therapist to guide you). Let your injuries heal-say 3 months---if they still plague you--then seek another opinion-perhaps from a podiatrist, a sports medicine doctor, or an orthopedist who specializes in runners(do some research).
Orthotics can help-if made by a podiatrist or sports medicine specialist. For example-orthotics with heel lifts would help with the tight calves. Your running shoes should also be evaluated with the orthotics-----these can make a difference in runners.
Try a martial art or yoga to help with the tightness of the calves-and will help you in your running

Hope This Helps!
and
Good Luck!
The podiatrists of AnkleNFootCenters.com are specialists in foot & ankle pain.
We are located in Chicago & Elmhurst

Dr George Tsatsos & Svetlana Zats
Podiatrist Chicago 60618 & Elmhurst 60126 Podiatrists
Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery & Orthopedics
New South Loop Location-Chicago 60661
AnkleNFoot.com
Runnersdoc.com
BabyFootDoc.com

DISCLAIMER:
This information is offered as free advice and as general information. It may not be applicable to the specific questioner and his/her problem.  It is not based on actual knowledge of the questioner or his/her medical history and it cannot and should not be relied upon as definitive medical opinion or advice.  Reliable medical opinion and advice can only be obtained through hands-on physical contact and exam of the patient to establish an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.  No doctor/patient relationship is created or established here and may not be inferred through answers on this site.  The questioner and other readers must consult his/her own doctor before proceeding or implementing any suggestions contained within this document and answers on this site.  The questioner is only to act upon his/her own doctor抯 orders and recommendations. By reading this posting which follows, the reader fully understands and confirms that he/she holds harmless this writer. If this is not fully agreeable to you, the reader, and/or you have not attained the age of 18 years, you hereby are advised to read no further.